Liatris pycnostachya,
Prairie Blazing Star,
Kansas Gayfeather potted plants are available $5 each plus Boxing/Shipping.
email with your zip code and number of plants
for the correct shipping cost on potted
plants.

Liatris pycnostachya
seed
Prairie Blazing Star seed

approximate
number of seeds

approximate coverage
in square feet

1 packet - $2.50
+ shipping

150

30 sq ft

1 ounce
--- $12.00

10,600

500 sq ft

1 pound
-$----

169,600

8,000 sq ft

Seed
shipping
chart at bottom of page
Liatris pycnostachya,
Prairie Blazing Star,
Kansas Gayfeather, or Button
Snakeroot, grows 3 to 5 feet tall spikes of dense
violet-lavender to rosy purple flower heads, which provide striking vertical form in
the perennial garden. Prairie Blazingstar is easily grown in average well-drained soils and full sun yet also
tolerates poor soils, drought, and summer heat. This plant looks well if planted in large sweeps in the meadow garden or individually in a formal
garden. The showy flower is
used in both fresh cut and dried flower arrangements and is a magnet for
butterflies. The attributes of this plant are accentuated when planted with Callirhoe (Poppy Mallow), Echinacea
(Coneflowers), Zizia (Golden Alexander), Solidago (Golden Rod), and prairie
grasses.

(Pycnostachya
= Dense, crowded spike)

Liatris pycnostachya,
Prairie Blazing Star,
Kansas Gayfeather seed germination is improved after a pretreatment of 4 to 6 weeks of cold moist stratification
or when planted outside in the fall or early winter.

Prairie
blazing star can be used for prairie restoration and landscaping, roadside
plantings, wildlife food and habitat, wildflower gardens (because of its
attractive flowers), and as a small component in seeding mixtures.

Description

Prairie
blazing star is a hardy, native perennial herb that grows from a tuber.Itis one of the
most conspicuous of the prairie inhabitants, as its leafy stems grow erect to a
height of 5 feet.The narrow leaves
on the lower two-thirds of the plant are so crowded that to the casual observer
they may appear spiraled rather than closely alternate.Lower leaves, up to 4 inches long and½
inch wide, are larger than those further up the stems.Both the leaves and stems usually display short, stiff hairs.

The top two-thirds of prairie blazing star
is a spike of rose-purple, thistle-like flowers that are given a somewhat fuzzy
appearance by extended white stamens (male flower parts) and pistils (female
flower parts).Flowering starts at
the top of the spike and moves progressively downward.Each flower head along the spike is made up of 5 to 12
tubular florets.A dense circle of
bracts (tiny, modified leaves) surrounds the base of each flower head.The tips of these long, pointed bracts tend to spread and curve back
toward their bases.Bracts of this
species may have a purplish tinge.

All
Liatris produce flowers in wand-like spikes or racemes.Their flowers are produced in late summer and autumn.They multiply by offsets from their cormlike base, or may be grown from
seed, which should be sown in autumn.They will grow and produce flowers in poorer soil than most
garden plants, but thrive best in good, rich garden soil, and require no special
care.Liatris pycnostachyais one of the showiest species.The
slender seeds of Liatris are usually
less than 1/4 inch long.The seed
narrows toward the base andis tipped
with a set of soft bristles about as long as the seed itself.There are 10 ribs or ridges running along the length of the seed.Prairie blazing star seeds per pound average 131,000.

Adaptation and
Distribution

Prairie
blazing star is found throughout the tall grass prairie biome, often in thick
stands on damp prairies and open bottomlands from Minnesota and Wisconsin south.

Establishment

Prepare
a clean weed free seedbed by disking and harrowing or using chemical weed
control.Firm the seedbed by
cultipacking.Seedbed should be
firm enough to allow seed to be planted ¼ inch deep.For prairie restoration or diverse plantings for wildlife, prairie
blazing star can be incorporated into seed mixes at a rate of 4 ounces pure live
seed/acre.Use unstratified seed in
fall and stratified seed in the spring.A
seeder with a legume box works well in the seeding operation, although other
types of seeders or drills maybe used.Apply
no fertilizer the establishment year unless a soil test indicates a severe
deficiency of phosphorus and potassium.Use
no nitrogen during the establishment year as this can encourage weed
competition.

Liatris
pycnostachya Prairie Blazing Star seedling
vigor is good and stands are comparatively easy to establish where competition
is controlled.

Management

During
establishment, reduce weed competition by mowing above the height of the prairie
blazing star or using approved herbicides.In established stands, prescribed burning may be appropriate where plant
vigor declines or where invader species threaten native mix stands.

Environmental
Concerns

Prairie blazing star
is not considered weedy or invasive and has not been noted spreading to adjoining
areas.Seedlings have not been
noted spreading from original plantings or if they do spread, the rate of spread
is not alarming.

The map
below shows areas where native
Liatris pycnostachya,
Prairie Blazing Star,
Kansas Gayfeather grow wild but it can be planted and will
grow over a much wider area than shown. USDA plant hardiness zones 3
to 9.

Alternate Names
Tall gayfeather, prairie gayfeather, blazing star, prairie blazing star, and
hairy button snakeroot, Kansas gayfeather
Uses
Cattle graze thickspike gayfeather and it is considered a decreaser in pastures
under heavy grazing pressure (Menhusen 1973). Thickspike is a particularly
beautiful member of the genus Liatris with its height and large sized flowering
spike. These flowering spikes make long lasting cut flowers since the heads will
proceed to open just as if they were still on the plant. If the spike is air
dried rapidly in the dark the flowering spike will retain much of its color and
can be used in attractive dry plant arrangements.
Kindscher (1992) indicated that the corm of thickspike was used by Native
Americans and others to treat gonorrhea. Art (1991) indicated that it could be
used to treat kidney diseases. Birds use the seed for food and rodents eat the
corms. Thickspike gayfeather can be used for roadside and park beautification,
prairie restoration, wildlife cover and food, landscaping, and to increase plant
diversity in natural and man made prairie communities.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant‟s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description
General: Thickspike gayfeather belongs to the sunflower or composite family (Asteraceae).
Liatris pycnostachya is a tall, hardy, native perennial herbaceous species that
has spectacular magenta inflorescences. Single to multiple stems arise from a
solid corm that is 7 to 10 cm in diameter and supports the plants deep, fibrous
root (5 to 15 common) system. The simple non-branched stems are up to 1.5 meters
tall. The species narrow, dark green leaves have a light colored mid-rib and are
alternately arranged on the stem. The numerous basal leaves are the longest and
they gradually shorten in length farther up the stem. Both stems and leaves
normally display short, stiff hairs. The inflorescence is a long spike of
sessile cylindrical heads 8 to 11 mm tall. The flower heads have 5 to 7
individual rose-purple flowers, each with 5 long, slender, pointed petals or
bracts which tend to spread and curve back toward their bases. Bracts of this
species may have a purplish tinge. The flowers are given a somewhat fuzzy
appearance by extended white stamens (male flower parts) and pistils (female
flower parts). The spike itself may be up to 60 cm of the stem length. The
flowers bloom from the top down so flowering covers an extended period of time.
The flowers are cross pollinated with bumble bees and native pollinators doing
most of the work. The fruit of thickspike gayfeather is a narrow, brownish, 10
ribbed achene that is 5 to 6 mm long, with tufts of bristles longer than the
achene attached to its upper end. The seed heads should be harvested in the fall
after they appear dry and fluffy, but before they are blown away by the wind.
There are 333,000 achenes per kg of seed or about 131,000 seed units per pound
of thickspike gayfeather.
Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Web site. This plant ranges from Kentucky to
Minnesota and eastern North Dakota south from there to Louisiana and eastern
Texas. It grows naturally in the eastern 1/3 of Kansas.
Habitat: Thickspike gayfeather grows best in low, moist, tallgrass prairies that
are dominated by big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). It may grow near the base
of slopes since it requires more water than many of the other members of the
genus Liatris. Art (1991) reported that gayfeather grew best on moist, well
drained, and slightly acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 7.0) soils. Weaver and
Fitzpatrick (1934) found it on 56 percent of low prairies and only 25 percent of
upland prairies that they studied.
Adaptation
Weaver (1954) indicated that Liatris pycnostachya was characteristic of areas
supporting big bluestem and was rarely found in much drier or much wetter
grassland areas. This species of Liatris is probably the least drought tolerant
and may need to be supplemented with irrigation to bloom vigorously in very dry
weather.
Establishment
Thickspike gayfeather is established in field and prairie restoration projects
easiest from seed. A firm, clean, weed free seedbed should be prepared by
disking, harrowing, and cultipacking the planting site. Chemical weed control
can be used to reduce competition and limit the competition from perennial weed
species. Seedbed should be firm enough to allow planting of the seed units at a
depth of 6 mm. A drill equipped with a legume seed box and depth bands would
allow for good depth placement of the seed unit and good seed to soil contact. A
seeding rate of 30 Pure Live Seed (PLS) units per 30 cm of row should provide a
consistent full stand. To plant a prairie restoration or diverse wildlife
planting a seeding rate of 65 gm PLS per ha incorporated into the seeding
mixture would be acceptable. Application of fertilizer the year of establishment
is discouraged unless phosphorous and potassium are at extremely low levels on
your soil test for the planting site. Absolutely no nitrogen fertilizer should
be applied the first year to discourage weed competition from annual weed
species.
Management
Mowing can be used to reduce weed competition in newly established fields as
long as mower height is kept above seedling height. Cultivation and herbicides
can be used if gayfeather is planted in rows for seed production. Dead plant
residue can be burned if done prior to plant growth in the spring. A
non-selective herbicide (i.e. Roundup) can be used in the spring to remove early
cool season species before plant regrowth begins.
Pests and Potential Problems
Rabbit protection might be required for gayfeather seedlings and newly
developing shoots in the spring. Thickspike gayfeather stems tend to lodge in a
monoculture situation. In a natural prairie setting other grass and forb plants
tend to support the stems and keep them upright.
Environmental Concerns
Thickspike gayfeather does not spread vegetatively and seedlings are easy to
control and maintain.
Seeds and Plant Production
Thickspike gayfeather can be propagated by seed or division of its corm. Art
(1991) divided the corm vertically into pieces which each contained at least one
bud. Plant the divided corm vertically with 30 to 60 cm spacing between
individuals and the bud 5 cm below the soils surface. Seed propagation is easier
than vegetative although the seed units require stratification. Seed germination
will improve with aging of the seed for at least three years beyond the harvest
date. Hesse (1973) obtained the best germination (up to 85%) with gayfeather
seed units after 15 weeks of cold, moist stratification treatment.
Stratified seed can be planted in the early spring or summer and non-stratified
seed can be planted in the fall (Platt and Harder 1991). Seedlings can be
started in greenhouses from stratified seed to produce transplants. Seed units
planted 6 mm deep in flats can be transplanted out doors in 8 to 12 weeks. Some
nurseries plant seed in June to have corms to transplant in a dormant state the
following spring. Seed fields can be harvested by direct combining and seed
processed using a scalper and fanning mills. The seed units (achenes) are run
through a hammer mill to remove the tuft of bristles. Manhattan Plant Materials
Center (PMC) production records indicate that a purity of 97 to 99 percent is
normal with a germination percentage of 29 to 71 and dormancy number of between
3 and 22 percent depending on the year. An eight year average of seed production
yield indicates that 73 kg per ha was produced at Manhattan, Kansas.
Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more
information. Look in the phone book under “United States Government.” The
Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading
“Department of Agriculture.”